Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 72284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72284 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“Can I see her?” I ask the doctor.
“Yes, you’re welcome to sit with her until we can allocate her a room.”
I follow him through the doors into the ER and to a cubicle where Brooke lies unconscious.
Her face is swollen, her lip cut and bloody, and I feel my insides tighten to the point of pain.
Christ, how could I have let this happen?
I take her hand and feel the emotion rush forward until my anger and pain sit heavy on my face, and the tears well in my eyes.
My zayka.
I kiss her hand, and my lips are warm against her cool skin.
“I will make this up to you,” I whisper.
She wakes up and starts to cry, and my heart dies a thousand violent deaths inside me.
“They want to do a rape kit.” I barely get the words out. Can hardly control my breathing.
“He didn’t rape me,” she says hoarsely.
The relief, the second wave for today, doesn’t dampen my plans for what I am going to do to him. But I am grateful that Brooke didn’t have to endure what could’ve happened.
One thing is for sure, I am going to erupt into Vlad's life like a firestorm and burn his entire fucking world to the ground.
49
BROOKE
He doesn’t leave my side. As I drift in and out of consciousness, thanks to some pretty awesome painkillers and my own body’s need for rest, he remains in the chair beside my bed. When I wake up with a moan because my ribs are in agony and my head throbs, he’s out of the chair quicker than lightning to find a nurse or a doctor and doesn’t let go of my hand until the pain subsides and I fall into a deep sleep again.
Later that evening, I wake up to a twilight sky and a full moon visible out my hospital window. The drugs are wearing off, but the pain is bearable. The moment I open my eyes, Lev takes my hand. He looks tired.
“How do you feel?” he asks.
“Like I’ve been run over by a truck that stopped and then backed over me for good measure.”
He gives me a weak smile. He’s hurting, but he’s doing his best to hide it behind one of his stoic expressions. His poker face is on point, but he can’t hide what’s in his eyes. He’s one half in agony, while the other half is burning with rage and a violent need for revenge.
I squeeze his hand reassuringly. “I’m going to be okay, Lev.”
“You will. I will make sure of it. No one will ever touch you again.”
I believe him.
I want to sit up but don’t want to upset a cranky couple of ribs. Breathing hurts, let alone moving.
“Here, let me help you.” He helps me sit up and adjusts the pillows behind me. “Is that okay?”
I nod. “Better, thank you.”
His brow furrows. “I’ll kill him.”
I don’t doubt it. “I know.”
“You’re okay with it?”
“Would it matter if I wasn’t?”
“No.”
“Then what I think about it doesn’t really matter.”
“What you think matters, Brooke. It matters to me more than it should.”
“Kiss me,” I whisper.
Surprise flitters across his face.
“I need to feel your lips on mine,” I say.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.”
“He split your lip.”
I remember Vlad’s backhand and the zip of pain as his pinky ring tore through the delicate skin.
I swallow back a sob and force a weak smile. “Don’t make me beg.”
His dark eyes gleam as he bends to brush his lips against mine. The wound stings, but it is nothing compared to how good it feels to be kissed by this man. His kiss is tender. Infinitely gentle. And I’m aware that all I need is this man to make me feel better about this.
His hands cup my face, and he presses his forehead to mine.
He sighs. “Zayka…”
I feel a surge of joy inside my heart as I do every time he calls me by my nickname.
“I will make him pay for what he’s done,” he whispers.
The opening of the door sends Lev bolting upright, and he reaches for the gun in his waistband before I even understand what is happening. But it’s an overreaction. It’s not Vlad and his army of assholes coming to finish me off. It’s only a nurse pushing an ultrasound machine on a cart.
“Good evening, sleepyhead. It’s good to see you looking better.” She is an older woman, somewhere in her fifties, with a kind face and rosy cheeks. “The ultrasound won’t take long.”
"What do I need an ultrasound for?" I ask.
"It’s nothing to worry about. Dr. Cornerstone just wants to see how many weeks along you are."
"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.
"This will check the size of your baby."
"Baby?" Lev and I both say at the same time.
"Yes, you're pregnant, right?"
I shake my head. "No, I'm not."
Then I remember back to the moments before I was kidnapped and how I realized my period was late.